Biomedical subjects

Yuji Ito

Publications and source records attributed to Yuji Ito.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

A novel L266V mutation of the tau gene causes frontotemporal dementia with a unique tau pathology.

We report a novel mutation of tau (L266V missense mutation in exon 9) which may cause a type of familial frontotemporal dementia. The brain of a patient showed Pick body-like inclusions and unique tau-positive, argyrophilic astrocytes with stout filaments and naked, round, or irregular argyrophilic inclusions with deposits of both three-repeat and four-repeat tau. Recombinant tau with a L266V mutation showed a reduced ability to promote microtubule assembly, which may be the primary effect of the mutation.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Lymphadenopathy of sinus histiocytosis mimicking metastatic bladder cancer: a case report.

A case of invasive bladder cancer accompanied with enlarged pelvic lymph nodes, which were interpreted as metastasis, is reported. The lymphadenopathy eventually regressed spontaneously while the bladder cancer increased in size. Total cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection were performed. Histopathological examination of the lymph nodes revealed dilation of the sinuses and marked increase in the number of histiocytes, which suggested sinus histiocytosis. Sinus histiocytosis is often associated with malignant tumor. It is considered as a sign of the host's immune activation with favorable prognostic significance. Nevertheless, such lymphadenopathy mimics a metastatic lymph node, making proper staging difficult.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Expression of RANK is dependent upon differentiation into the macrophage/osteoclast lineage: induction by 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and TPA in a human myelomonocytic cell line, HL60.

Receptor activator of nuclear factor (RANK) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily indispensable for osteoclast differentiation. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanism of RANK expression. In the present study, RANK expression during macrophage/osteoclast differentiation was investigated using a human myelomonocytic cell line, HL60, capable of differentiating into mature osteoclasts under appropriate conditions. RANK mRNA expression was barely detectable in growing HL60 cells. We found that treatment with 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) and TPA resulted in an apparent induction of RANK mRNA and protein in association with differentiation into the macrophage/osteoclast lineage. Induction of RANK was time and dose dependent and lineage specific. Moreover, RANK induction was blocked by an RNA polymerase II inhibitor, suggesting an involvement of a transcriptional mechanism. The induced RANK was functional as it was able to bind RANK ligand and activate NF-kappaB. In the induced HL60 cells expressing both c-Fms and RANK, RANK mRNA expression was further enhanced by RANKL, but not by macrophage colony-stimulating factor. These results suggest a positive feedback regulation of RANK expression by its own intracellular signaling. The in vitro system described here may be a useful model to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of RANK expression and its role in human osteoclastogenesis.

Cell Differentiation↗

PubMed2003

Human Fc epsilon RIalpha-specific human single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody with antagonistic activity toward IgE/Fc epsilon RIalpha-binding.

The alpha-chain of Fc epsilon RI (Fc epsilon RIalpha) plays a critical role in the binding of IgE to Fc epsilon RI. A fully human antibody interfering with this interaction may be useful for the prevention of IgE-mediated allergic diseases. Here, we describe the successful isolation of a human single-chain Fv antibody specific to human Fc epsilon RIalpha using human antibody phage display libraries. Using the non-immune phage antibody libraries constructed from peripheral blood lymphocyte cDNA from 20 healthy subjects, we isolated three phage clones (designated as FcR epsilon 27, FcR epsilon 51, and FcR epsilon 70) through two rounds of biopanning selection. The purified soluble scFv, FcR epsilon 51, inhibited the binding of IgE to recombinant Fc epsilon RIalpha, although both FcR epsilon 27 and FcR epsilon 70 showed fine binding specificity to Fc epsilon RIalpha. Since FcR epsilon 51 was determined to be a monomer by HPLC, BIAcore analysis was performed. The dissociation constant of FcR epsilon 51 to Fc epsilon RIalpha was estimated to be 20 nM, i.e., fortyfold lower than that of IgE binding to Fc epsilon RIalpha (K(d) = 0.5 nM). With these characteristics, FcR epsilon 51 exhibited inhibitory activity on the release of histamine from passively sensitized human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Decreased AP-1 activity and interleukin-11 expression by bone marrow stromal cells may be associated with impaired bone formation in aged mice.

UNLABELLED: Expression of an osteogenic cytokine, IL-11, is decreased in SAMP6. We show here that IL-11 transcription largely depends on AP-1 transcription factors, activities of which are decreased in SAMP6 as well as aged ICR mice. Therefore, diminished AP-1 activity and the resultant decline in IL-11 expression may play a role in impaired bone formation in the aged. INTRODUCTION: Evidence suggests that impaired osteoblastogenesis contributes to aging-associated osteopenia. The P6 strain of senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) is an animal model of senile osteoporosis, which exhibits low bone mass caused by impaired bone formation. Bone marrow stromal cells from SAMP6 show decreased osteoblastogenesis and increased adipogenesis. We previously demonstrated that these abnormalities of SAMP6 stromal cells may be attributed to decreased expression of interleukin (IL)-11. METHODS: In this study, we attempted to determine the molecular mechanism of decreased IL-11 expression by SAMP6 stromal cells by cloning and analyzing the mouse IL-11 gene promoter. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We found that two tandem activating protein-1 (AP-1) sites that reside immediately upstream of TATA box play critical roles in IL-11 gene transcription. Gel shift analysis showed that binding activity to the IL-11 AP-1 sites was reduced in SAMP6 stromal cell nuclear extracts. Among multiple components of AP-1 transcription factors, Jun D binding was particularly decreased. Furthermore, decreased Jun D binding and IL-11 expression by stromal cells was also observed in aged mice of the ICR strain. Therefore, decreased AP-1 activity and a resultant decline in IL-11 expression by bone marrow stromal cells may play a role in impaired bone formation in the aged.

5' Untranslated Regions↗

PubMed2003

Significant association of Rho/ROCK pathway with invasion and metastasis of bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: The small GTP-binding protein Rho and its best-characterized downstream effector Rho-associated serine-threonine protein kinase, ROCK, participate in actin cytoskeleton organization, and are linked to pathogenesis and progression of several human tumors. We investigated the roles of Rho and ROCK in bladder cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Using Western blotting, we quantitated Rho and ROCK protein expression in paired tumor and nontumor surgical samples from 107 consecutive Japanese patients with bladder cancer. RESULTS: RhoA, RhoC, and ROCK were more abundant in tumors and metastatic lymph nodes than in nontumor bladder and uninvolved lymph nodes (P < 0.0001). Amounts of RhoA and RhoC protein, and ROCK protein expression correlated positively with one another (P < 0.0001). High RhoA, RhoC, and ROCK expression were related to poor tumor differentiation (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, and P < 0.01, respectively), muscle invasion (P < 0.001), and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier plots linked high RhoA, RhoC, and ROCK protein expression to shortened disease-free and overall survival (P < 0.0001). By univariate analysis, high RhoA, RhoC, and ROCK protein expression predicted shortened disease-free and overall survival (P < 0.0001). By multivariate analysis, only RhoC was independently influenced in disease-free survival (P < 0.05), and RhoA and RhoC in overall survival (P < 0.001). In contrast, RhoB expression was inversely related to the grade and stage (P < 0.05), and its higher expression is associated with better overall survival (P < 0.05). In superficial tumors (Ta or T1; 63 patients), RhoA, RhoC, and ROCK were unrelated with recurrence-free survival. Overall survival in tumors invading muscle (T2 to T4; 44 patients) was significantly influenced by RhoA, RhoC, and ROCK in a Kaplan-Meier analysis (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, and P < 0.01, respectively). Whereas RhoA, RhoC, and ROCK independently predicted shortened overall survival in patients with invasive tumor by univariate analysis (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, and P < 0.01, respectively), only RhoC did so by multivariate analysis (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Rho/ROCK pathway apparently involved in occurrence and progression of bladder cancer may be valuable prognostic markers.

Actins↗

PubMed2003

[Treatment for osteoporosis with decreased bone formation].

Osteoporosis caused by aging, immobilization, and glucocorticoid excess involves impaired bone formation. Bisphosphonate, a potent inhibitor of bone resorption, has also been proven to be effective in their treatment. Human parathyroid Hormone (hPTH (1-34) ) has recently been shown to be an effective therapeutic agent for osteoporosis with its strong stimulatory action on bone formation, and has been approved by FDA for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, further studies will be necessary to solve the safety issues, especially in long-term treatment.

English Abstract↗

PubMed2002

Simultaneous determination of ingredients in a vitamin-enriched drink by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography was used to simultaneously determine six active ingredients (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, nicotinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, anhydrous caffeine, riboflavin sodium phosphate and thiamine nitrate) in a vitamin-enriched drink. All the active ingredients and the formulation excipients were successfully separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with 135 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, and were subsequently detected using a diode-array detector operating at 210 nm. The peak shape of pyridoxine hydrochloride was improved by use of sodium tetraborate solution as sample solvent. Sample and standard solutions were stable for at least 24 h in a light-resistant container at room temperature. The established method was validated and demonstrated to be applicable to the determination of the active ingredients in a vitamin-enriched drink. Good linearities were obtained, with correlation coefficients above 0.999. Recoveries and precisions ranged from 99.0 to 101.2%, and from 0.4 to 2.5% RSD, respectively. The detection limit for ingredients ranged from 0.3 to 125 microg ml(-1). These results suggest that micellar electrokinetic chromatography can be used for the determination of ingredients in vitamin-enriched drinks.

Beverages↗

PubMed2002

Paternal UPD14 is responsible for a distinctive malformation complex.

We present a boy and two girls with paternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 14q (patUPD14). One girl had a Robertsonian translocation, whereas two a normal karyotype. Based on the manifestations of these patients and four previously reported patients who all had translocated chromosome 14, The patUPD14 was thought to constitute a distinctive syndrome. The hallmarks included abdominal muscular defects, skeletal anomalies, and characteristic facies. The phenotype of patUPD14 was consistent with that of a previously reported mouse model, i.e., mouse embryos with paternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 12 that has a region orthologous to that of human chromosome 14. Dose effects of newly recognized imprinted genes on human chromosome 14q32, DLK1 and GTL2, could play an important role in the pathogenic mechanism of the distinctive malformation complex.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMed2002

Analysis of the influence of diurnal variation in maternal movements on fetal heart rate acceleration.

To determine the influence of diurnal variation in maternal movements (MM) on fetal heart rate (FHR) accelerations, 24-hour maternal heart rates (MHR), MM and FHR recordings were made simultaneously on nine healthy pregnant women at 36-39 weeks of gestation. Correlations between the diurnal variations in maternal factors and FHR parameters; that is, baseline FHR, amplitude, duration and hourly percentage of time spent in accelerations, were examined. Only a few cases showed a significant correlation between acceleration parameters and the diurnal variation of MHR or MM, while most cases indicated a high correlation between the diurnal variation in baseline FHR and that of maternal factors. In conclusion, the occurrence and form of accelerations might be independent of maternal activity.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2002

[Not Available].

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Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of automated ribotyping system for characterization and identification of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli isolated in Japan.

The usefulness of an automated ribotyping system (RiboPrinter) was evaluated for characterizing and identifying clinical isolates of 37 verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) strains and 16 non-VTEC strains. All strains were successfully ribotyped with satisfactory reproducibility and stability and characterized into 10 different ribogroups. All VTEC O157 strains were characterized into a specific ribogroup and correctly typed into the specific DuPont ID for VTEC O157:H7, while all of the non-VTEC O157 strains were clearly distinguished from VTEC O157. VTEC O26 and O111 strains, the most prevalent VTEC serotypes after O157, were also well characterized into specific ribogroups and identified. These results suggest that the RiboPrinter may have an advantage over other typing systems in that it can rapidly and easily discriminate VTEC from non-VTEC strains of the most prevalent VTEC serotypes in Japan, even though it provides a lesser degree of discrimination than pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). With a hierarchical or sequential typing combining the RiboPrinter and PFGE, rapid and accurate typing can be achieved during an outbreak of VTEC, which may be useful in clinical and public health settings.

Automation↗